With William Carter’s self-control, even he absolutely could not endure it! William Carter truly couldn’t hold back; his mind sank inward, circulating his power to look within. At a glance, William Carter almost cried out in shock!

In the center of his dantian, a shadow of a tiny, ethereal sword had appeared! Its color was dim, only about the size of a fingertip, and on the blade, eight cracks were clearly visible!

The shape of this sword was somewhat strange, but to William Carter, it was incomparably familiar!

Though battered and old, even this illusory shadow exuded an intangible, overwhelming aura that seemed capable of swallowing the heavens and devouring the earth!

This—this is the Nine Tribulations Sword, isn’t it?! How could it be in my dantian?

For a moment, William Carter was dumbfounded, his body swaying twice, nearly so shocked that he fell over!

Chapter Four: The Secret of the Nine Tribulations Sword

That intense, longing summons surged up once again. William Carter carefully sensed it, and sure enough, in just a short while, the dim Nine Tribulations Sword in his dantian once again sent out a powerful summoning intent...

It felt as if a desperately hungry infant was kicking its legs and wailing for milk. William Carter broke out in a cold sweat at the feeling rising in his heart, truly unable to understand how such an absurd sensation could arise.

As soon as his mind touched it, the dim shadow of the Nine Tribulations Sword emitted a faint sense of resistance and curiosity, as if a baby was gazing at him with innocent eyes—eyes filled with longing, unfamiliarity, and expectation...

For no reason, a wave of tenderness welled up in William Carter’s heart. He gently wrapped his consciousness around it... This time, the sword shadow only resisted slightly before letting down its guard.

Through this mental contact, William Carter finally understood how this thing had come to be!

This was not the Nine Tribulations Sword itself; to be precise, it was the sword’s soul! Or rather, its sword intent!

When he had unleashed that final, destructive move, plunging the Nine Tribulations Sword into his own heart, his heart’s blood had nourished it, awakening the sword soul. This was the beginning of the greatest secret within the Nine Tribulations Sword...

And it was this awakened sword soul that, for some unknown reason, had brought him back to his youth!

The final move of the Nine Tribulations Sword was, from the start, a forbidden technique. It meant perishing together with the enemy—and, in fact, killing oneself first, then the enemy! Only with such a resolute will could it be performed!

What William Carter did not know was that this was one of the Nine Tribulations Sword’s mysteries!

All previous wielders of the Nine Tribulations Sword had only cultivated along the path of the sword; yet they never gained the sword’s true recognition! Because, by treating themselves entirely as a sword in cultivation... what would they become?

A sword, by nature, is emotionless. So, under such guidance, they would naturally choose the path of the emotionless sword!

Thus, every previous master of the Nine Tribulations Sword was nothing more than a “sword slave”! Including William Carter in his previous life—he too was just a sword slave! A slave to the sword!

It was the sword using people, not people using the sword!

But William Carter had used the final move, sacrificing his own heart’s blood to shatter all calamities!

Aside from William Carter, none of the previous wielders of the Nine Tribulations Sword had ever dared to use this move! When their lifespans reached their end or they were killed by others, the Nine Tribulations Sword would automatically break apart, returning to its fragmented state, scattering across the continent, quietly awaiting its true master, hoping that one day it could ascend to the glorious peak of the Nine Tribulations Sword and fulfill its sacred destiny...

Therefore, it was William Carter’s desperate final move that fully awakened the sword soul, allowing it to reside in his dantian. From that moment, the greatest divine artifact of the Nine Heavens Continent truly had a master!

That’s why it so easily accepted William Carter.

It could be said that, aside from the creator of the Nine Tribulations Sword, William Carter was its very first true master!

A genuine master of the Nine Tribulations Sword.

This was truly a case of surviving after facing certain death!

From this moment on, William Carter knew clearly that he would walk a path completely different from his previous life!

Now, the sword soul of the Nine Tribulations Sword was like a wailing infant, urgently needing the nourishment of the sword’s fragments and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth! The intense emotion it emitted was precisely what was urging William Carter to seek out the scattered pieces of the Nine Tribulations Sword—to find the nourishment it required...

William Carter’s mind sank into his dantian, using his consciousness to envelop the dim sword soul, wholeheartedly offering comfort...

After a while, the sword intent of the Nine Tribulations Sword seemed to sense William Carter’s sincerity and gradually calmed down. Though it still seemed a bit reluctant, it no longer sent out that urgent summons...

It was like a child who couldn’t get their beloved toy, but, being sensible, no longer threw a tantrum—just pouted, eyes brimming with tears, gazing at their parents in grievance...

This sword soul of the Nine Tribulations Sword was truly as endearing as a child.

A wave of pity rose in William Carter’s heart, and under such emotion, he even felt a trace of guilt...

Suppressing his excitement, he let out a long breath. Opening his eyes, he saw Charles Stone standing before him, watching him intently, a trace of excitement deep in his eyes. He must have thought William Carter’s strange state was due to his injuries. When William Carter opened his eyes, that excitement flashed away, replaced by concern as he asked, “Junior Carter, what’s wrong?”